The category native comprises persons born in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a possession of the United States; persons born in a foreign country or at sea who have at least one native American parent; and persons whose place of birth was not reported and whose census report contained no contradictory information, such as an entry of a language spoken prior to coming to the United States. The category foreign born comprises all persons not classified as native.

Native persons of native parentage comprise native persons, both of whose parents are also natives of the United States. Native persons of foreign or mixed parentage comprise native persons, one or both of whose parents are foreign born.